Holy Week May Be the Most Important of the Year for Christians

March 15, 2008

Holy Week is the most important week of the year for Christians. This is the week when we ponder the last week in the life of Christ. This is so important to Christians that nearly half of the gospel of Mark and John focus on this week in the life of Jesus. Matthew and Luke give sizable accounts of this week in the life of Jesus as well.

Why is this so important to Christians? This is the week where Jesus faces opposition. He intentionally goes to Jerusalem, where he knows he will be crucified. Along the way, he gives last minute instructions to his followers including the practice of communion. Most importantly, he amazes us all with the miracle of the resurrection.

Holy Week is meant to be a week where we pause and ponder what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ. It is a week to think about how we have sinned and how Jesus died on the cross for you and me. Holy Week is a time to ruminate over the teachings of Christ and how to face the situations of our life with his peace and grace. Holy Week is a time to get ready for the day of days, Easter, when we celebrate the resurrection of the lord and the power of his almighty love.

This year, once again, the Ministerial Association is offering communitywide worship services from noon to 12:30 p.m. at First Baptist Church in Elkins. The church is located at 412 Randolph Ave. next to Elkins City Park. After worship, a meal prepared by different women’s groups from cooperating congregations will be served. The midday services are designed for people with busy schedules; you can attend the service during lunch and be able to return to work in the afternoon.

A word of thanks goes to the churches, pastors, musicians and women’s groups who work together and worship together during Holy Week. Each day, the worship service will focus on the theme of what happened in the life of Christ on that day and how this zffects our lives as his followers.

The schedule of services is:

On Monday, the speaker will be Marvin Parli; liturgist, Ellis Conley; and soloist, Andy Montgomery. The churches serving lunch will be First United Methodist, Mercy Chapel, Orlena United Methodist and Wayside United Methodist.

On Tuesday, the speaker will be Doug Jenkins; liturgist, Doug Lewis; and soloist, Kent Price. Churches serving lunch will be Davis Memorial Presbyterian, St. Brendan Catholic and Holy Trinity Lutheran.

On Wednesday, the speaker will be Bob Baer; liturgist, Bob Farrar; and soloist, Stephen Pyle. Churches serving lunch will be First Baptist, Nazarene, Otterbein United Methodist and Israel United Methodist.

On Thursday, the speaker will be Fred Bird; liturgist, Ted Bessey; and soloist, Pam Dodd. Churches serving lunch will be Woodford Memorial United Methodist and the Church of the Brethren.

On Friday, the speaker will be Sue Farrar; liturgist, Herman Jones; and soloist, Deb Super. Churches serving lunch will be Grace Episcopal, First United Methodist and Church of the Nazarene.

Come and worship with us. Come allow these services to help you get ready for Easter.

(The opinions of this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Inter-Mountain, the Randolph County Ministerial Association or the author’s church affiliation.)